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LAST UPDATE | 29 Aug 2024
FOTA WILDLIFE PARK has said it is in the process of contacting “all potentially impacted customers” after it was hit by a cyberattack.
In an email to customers yesterday, the Cork attraction warned customers that their financial information may have been compromised due to the breach.
It said that after it became aware of illegal activity on its website, it took “immediate steps to investigate and identify what information had been accessed on our website in order to carry out containment measures”.
“One of the steps that we have taken is to remove all access to the user accounts on the website. We have also engaged external forensic cyber security experts who are investigating the incident on our behalf,” the park said.
It said that for anyone who made transactions on the website between 12 May and 27 August, “there is a risk that your financial information may be compromised”.
The wildlife park “strongly” recommended that customers cancel the credit or debit card used to make payments on the Fota Wildlife Park website between 12 May and 27 August.
It also advised customers to review their bank account and credit card statements since 12 May “to identify potential suspicious activity which may indicate that your account has been compromised”.
“We understand that this may be of significant concern to you. We would like to assure you that we take our responsibility to protect your personal and financial information seriously and have given this matter the utmost priority,” the email stated.
The wildlife park told customers that the incident has been notified to the Data Protection Commission (DPC) and that they are also liaising and working with An Garda Síochána.
The website for the park is now offline, but the park remains open.
“Fota Wildlife Park can confirm that illegal cyber activity was recently identified which impacted its website,” it said in a statement to The Journal.
“The organisation’s incident response plan was immediately activated, an internal investigation was instigated and appropriate measures were taken to secure the organisation’s website.”
It said the incident has been notified to the relevant authorities and that the park is cooperating with them.
“Fota Wildlife Park is in the process of contacting all potentially impacted customers. In the meantime, Fota Wildlife Park’s day-to-day operations continue as normal.”
A security source said that it is believed that it may be similar to a 2018 cyber attack on British Airways and it appears that the breach is related to payments passing through the website.
The Data Protection Commission has confirmed that it has received a notification and is assessing the information provided by the park’s operators.
Bank of Ireland said its customers impacted by the “Fota Wildlife Park issue can contact our customer service team (1800 946 764) who can cancel their existing card and arrange a new one.
“Customers can also freeze their cards immediately within the Cards section of our mobile app.”
Brian Honan of BH Consulting is a leading cyber security expert – he said that it is advisable for customers to cancel the banking cards they have used to make payments at Fota Wildlife Park and to change passwords.
“I recommend they follow the advice from Fota.Firstly, if the password you used to enter the Fota Wildlife Park website is a password you use across many other websites, then go change your password on those websites and systems, and if it is available, enable multi factor authentication on those sites and systems as well, because that will provide a second step of safety if criminals try and use your password.
“I would definitely take the advice and cancel your credit card and debit card, because at this stage, you don’t know if the criminals have access to it and if they start using your credit card for purchasing things or anything else, it could come back to bite you, because at this stage, you know your credit card has potentially been stolen.
“So notify your financial advisor, cancel your credit card and monitor your bank account or credit card statements to see if there’s any unusual activity,” he said.
Honan said the type of cyber attack by criminals is not an unusual method and would like have involved the criminals having access to data across the system.
“The fact that the website, the focus the commentary around the website were and not any of their back end systems would say to me that somehow their website got compromised and that the criminals were able to put code on the website to monitor all activity on that site, such as people logging in, thinking their passwords, credit card details, and sending the information to the criminals.
“So you go into book your day out in Fota Wildlife Park – you enter your name, address, your credit card details and you hit purchase.
“It goes through the website, and it goes through the Fota Wildlife Park systems, and everything worked. You got your tickets, but at the same time my guess is that information was being copied over to criminals somewhere else,” he added.
Honan warned that criminals are diversifying their methods as online commerce continues to increase.
“Other organisations should note the Fota incident and they should learn from it and ensure that their websites have been designed and developed in a secure manner, that they are monitoring their websites for any unusual activity, and in particular, any changes to the software on their websites, and that they have an appropriate incident response plan in place should that breach happen.
“Finally they should be regularly testing the security of their website by having what is called penetration tests, which is where security professionals will try and break into the site the same way as a criminal would break into it just to make sure it’s secure,” he added.
With reporting from Niall O’Connor
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121k to design a hut. Pull the other one.
@Llennoc: and 190k to rent a temporary security hut during construction period. The Golden circle are allowed to plunder the tax take, with a nod and a wink. No wonder there’s such a gap in society, the range rover brigade get their money so easy, no work involved
Who got the job and let us see all the quotes
OPW is in cahoots wirh certain CCTV and security companies across the country at ALL OPW sites…. i know for a fact, as i’m in the game. This in itself needs investigating.
@Steve Davis: I think maybe you need to supply the information you have to the gardai and expose what is going on
@Tony Lyons: he’s snookered now…..
@JB Software: quality comment
No one is questioning the need for security… but seriously, the cost is ridiculous…. this is not government money, this is taxpayers money… there seems not to be any proper scrutiny from the opw on spending our money.
@R kelly: opw are just one state organisation. There’s others that spend vastly more money, the waste is incredible.
@R kelly: the cost for the equipment fit out isn’t unreasonable
@Pat Hazzard: Mr Pathetic trotted out by Fianna Fail to defend the indefensible. If Jimmy Saville was from FF, you would still come on here defending him, sad pathetic shill.
@Pat Hazzard: are you off your tree ?
Here’s the real breakdown.
Cost of hut 429k.
Cost of scam 1m.
The OPW has a ‘Panel’ of three ‘Approved Security Suppliers’. Palms have to be seriously greased to get on that panel.
Once you’re on the panel, you are in cahoots with the other 2 companies and everyone agrees to ramp their quotes up by 400%. (Thats actually how it works)….
The OPW then gets 3 quotes, one off each of their ‘approved suppliers’ so its seen to comply with tendering laws – regardless of the fact they are getting fleeced and could get it €100 of thousands cheaper elsewhere….
@Steve Davis: You seem to know a good bit about this. you should become a whistleblower.
Write to the Gards, to Journos, try take pics of documents that prove what you are saying and get the word out.
no point moaning about it in the Journal comments. Go do something about it.
It’s so easy to spend somebody else’s money. Disgusting.
Not their money so no one cares.
People responsible need to be held to account. It’s very close to criminal what has gone on here.
What’s the scrap value of the copper boss?
The Minister with responsibility for the OPW must be hiding in the HUT, no sign of him for the past fortnight.
I’m so fed up of this country.
The civil servants are running/ruining this country get them out,sack them all
@Paul: when there’s no accountability, they’ll do what they please.
@Paul: then you’ll have nobody to process your dole.
@Tony Murphy: it’s being happening for years, and did you think the days of the brown envelope was gone.
Where going off the rails on this gravy train
Some gig getting a government contract .
191k replacement security system
Would they need to build a fortress around them if they were a popular government? The lorry that rammed the gates of leinster House in 2010 was driven by a very frustrated gentleman,frustrated that this very pack of muppits drove the country of a cliff by refusing to listen to all the warnings given to them at the time. They will do it again and will need protecting.
Who signs off on these? Is there not a minister responsible for the OPW? After all it is taxpayers money they are throwing out.
It’s a thundering disgrace but they will have a right laugh at the christmas party about how they can do whatever they want and not have to worry about getting pulled up on it. Pissing away tax payers money is so deeply embedded in the civil service it will never change.
Government Contracts means Gravy Train for the chosen few. No questions asked. Sickening.
Did they never hear of Ring Door bells..
3 instances is a pattern
that’s just the tip of the iceberg !
these showers are not fit for purpose and should be inquired on everything they do, on everything they get (perks, advantages, money, pensions etc…)
Name and shame, get the money back, do not vote for them anymore …
Heads should roll at OPW. Crazy spending spree their on.
It’s a security hut, not MI5s headquarters. They must have some James Bond gadegts going on in that hut, or Sensori got the contract.
I’d like to see the security footage of the bike shed being built from this state of the art security building. As I hear there was robbery happening at the time.
In fairness, when the Russians come, we all know where to go. For that money, it should hold all 5 million of us and room for a pony.
https://jrnl.ie/6498460
All Sinn Féin’s fault though, and to a lesser extent the Social Democrats. You can see how the government have risen in the polls though
We need Monuments to the Largesse of our Elite that represent our entitled Govt, Civil Service & “Public Service Broadcaster RTE”. The Bike Shelter & Security Hut, as Stephen Matthews described as “Beautiful”, are representative of how the Elite regard themselves & a total disregard of those who work hard & pay their taxes. It has been ever so in Ireland for decades now, a country where the select Elite thrive in a country rotten to the core. Nothing will ever change, there will always be another NCH, Bike Shelter, Security Hut, followed by the faux outrage of the Elite & the oft used “Lessons Learned”.
If we stopped calling it a “hut” it would help. It’s a state of the art security office at the entrance to our highest government building.
@Martin O Connell: yes and the bike shed is the taj mahal. If this level of security is needed then why are the military not guarding it.
@Martin O Connell: OK, we’ll call it sorasoatetohgb for short.
@Martin O Connell: with a 60,000 euro roof ,stop trying to defend this shite givt
The d Hotel in drogheda was paid 5.3 million for the first 3 or 6 months to house asylum seeks why didn’t we buy it and city west and money hundreds of millions spent and nothing to show for it 190k to rent a security hut why didn’t opw buy it nothing to show for it
Hold on, eu 121,000+ spent on design ! Sounds like OPW engaged consultants for the design. Why? The OPW has their own architects, so why did they need consultants. What were the OPW architects doing, what are they being paid for? Scandalous.
Must have been a lot of brown envelopes involved
Great to see all the learned comments from all the security and construction cost experts here today………
@chris gaffney: that’s it !
Common sense tells you this is a totally overpriced POS.
But here comes Chris trying to tell us it’s all fine .
Feck off chris
construction industry needs to be regulated! Seriously!
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